A clinic in Beijing

So I went on this interview today for the second time, actually a little preview in a nutshell: I went to meet with Mary few days ago, the manager of a vet hospital in Beijing and on top of being an hour late, she failed to acknowledge that she was an hour late, failed to apologize about it, and attempted to brush me off to the late pm hours where, to quote directly, "Frank and [her] might have some time to see [me] then to talk about this volunteer program." I immediately made my intentions clear to her that i needed a paid-job, with reasons a struggling international student pursuing a second degree would understand. That was that. Yesterday she called and explained how the head vet really liked me and thought it a shame that I wouldn't be working with them. She went on through her mumble jumble i-love-my-voice-and-my-fake-American-accent English about how they could probably figure out a position for me if I was willing to reconsider. I sincerely appreciated her call-back and arranged to meet with her today. So today went I. The staff was very nice. We chatted about Peace avenue (my ex-employer) and how fabuloso it was to be part of that family, to successfully vowed them (through no fault of my own) and maybe even inspired a couple to invest into a trip to HK for some vet-clinic sightseeings. Then Frank came. A man who seemed to stammer in English and was incomprehensible (to me at least) in Mandarin. I had to settle for one human language. Frank was nice, throughout our 1.5 hour of conversing he covered almost everything, especially about the closing months of the year that Beijing is a hotspot for mugging, that as a foreigner, I should hold my handbag a certain way to avoid being mugged, and if mugged that I should run to a safe spot after memorizing the face of the mugger, he joked about how 911 doesn't work here and that i had to dial One 10, that when in clubs I should hold on to my drink at all times and if were to let go of one even for a split second to not take it back and to not talk on the phone while walking. We had a good laugh, great intentions, a bit of stammering (on his part), lots of eye-popping facial expressions (unseen by him, on my part). Then he told me about this story, of his first visit to an animal hospital in ShuZhou, where he witnessed a dog leading a long trail of blood with it's internal organs dropping out like an opened tipped-over grocery bag. What was intended to be a spay surgery escalated to such gruesomeness merely because of mishandled anesthetics. This was what inspired a Business major student from Columbia, business manager and financial advisers of various firms in NY to , in his words "show people what professionalism truly is and the humane way to handle animals", by managing his very own vet clinic. I was inspired.

The White and the Kayaker

"Sitting in a 3.8-meter sea kayak and watching a four-meter great white approach you is a fairly tense experience. Although we had extensively tested the sharks' reactions to an empty kayak and had observed no signs of aggression, this gave us little comfort as we eyed a great white heading straight for us, albeit slowly. Just a metre or so from the craft it veered off, circled and slowly approached from behind. It did this several times, occasionally lifting its head out of the water to get a better look. Then it lost interest, and as it continued on its way we were able to follow a short distance behind. Once we'd come to terms with having nothing between ourselves and a four-meter shark except a thin layer of plastic, our kayak made an ideal research platform for observing great white behaviour in shallow water. Its advantages are twofold: it is inconspicuous and appears not to cause the sharks to alter their behaviour for long, and it allows us to watch them in a natural situation, as it is not necessary to attract them to us with food." Source: September 2005 Africa Geographic

Can you say Karma?

Everything worked out, every bits of it. I have now all the reasons to be happy.  I'm beginning to very much believe in Karma, and even less on luck as I did before.  These days, are the old school music days.

Asia's Race to Judgment By ZOHER ABDOOLCARIM Wednesday, Oct. 08, 2008

Early this year my wife and I watched Venus Williams, one of the world's finest tennis players, compete in Hong Kong. During the match several young men sitting near us kept referring in Cantonese to Williams as "black demon," as well as another unprintable epithet. They shut up when my wife, an American citizen who is ethnic Chinese, berated them for their racist language. (Williams, by the way, won the tournament.) What, I wonder today, would those men say about Barack Obama, who soon could be the U.S.'s first African-American President? Perhaps it's the memory of slavery, or the legacy of the civil rights movement, or the need to be politically correct, or just plain politeness, but most Americans, particularly whites, are relatively restrained in word and deed about race. Most Asians are uninhibited about it. Asia's vast ethnic diversity means we are forced to confront the very many real differences — cultural, political, economic — that exist among us. Sometimes those differences erupt in violence. At least half of the world's armed conflicts are in Asia, nearly all ethnic-based. But the bigger reason Asians do not focus on commonality is because their societies do not encourage it. In many countries, ethnic divisions are institutionalized, with strict laws governing what one race can and cannot do. In largely homogenous Japan, it's extremely difficult for a non-Japanese to become a citizen even if born there. In Malaysia, an affirmative-action program gives preference to Malays over the country's sizable Chinese and Indian populations in everything from university places to government contracts. In Pakistan, Punjabis, the dominant ethnic group, are favored for key positions in the powerful military and civil service. Government leaders argue that these kinds of measures help maintain harmony. Maybe so, but it is a superficial harmony that reinforces stereotypes and hinders the creation, in the long run, of genuine tolerance and understanding. Even Hong Kong, one of the world's worldliest cities (and where TIME has its Asian headquarters), can be astonishingly parochial. For instance, Hong Kong enacted antidiscrimination legislation only very recently. Before, it was perfectly legal for a landlord to deny renting an apartment to an otherwise qualified tenant simply because of his or her skin color. One of my colleagues, an Indian national who has lived in Hong Kong for more than two years, still gets stopped by police for no given reason and told to present his ID. When he complains, the cops merely shrug. In Asia, it is acceptable to be racist, or at least unapologetic about being so. In Asia, race is in your face. So when Asians look at Barack Obama, they see, above all else, a black man. And most are convinced, TIME correspondents around the region tell me, that Americans will not, in the end, choose an African-American as their leader — simply because it has never been done. That the President of the United States should be white is a truism, reckons a retired Hong Kong Chinese professional who's a friend. His assessment of Obama is devoid of a critical examination of his values and vision. It's enough, says my friend, that "Obama does not look presidential." How Obama looks will not, of course, determine how he would govern if elected. Because he spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, and because he appears international in outlook, some Asians have high hopes for an Obama presidency. The thoughtful Malaysian commentator Karim Raslan warns, however, that Obama could prove disappointing to even those Asians who like him. "There's this idea that Obama will be a transformational figure, a leader of the world," says Karim. "But he's a Democrat, and Democrats have traditionally pushed protectionism and human rights, issues uncomfortable for Asia. Obama's key constituency is the U.S.; he will be the Commander in Chief, advancing American interests, not the world's." Yet the world has already gained from the Obama candidacy. In one sense, and one sense alone, his skin color does matter. In Asia (with the exception, perhaps, of India), it is virtually unthinkable that an individual from a minority could rise to become a serious national leader. Whatever we may think of the U.S., of its hardly stellar handling of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, of its lack of oversight, restraint and thrift over the financial meltdown, the fact that a Barack Obama can overcome the disadvantages associated with being black and have a shot at the highest office in the land speaks volumes about the possibility of hope in America — a possibility that cannot be entertained in the same way anywhere else. Even if Obama does not win, that's the lesson, and the example, America frames for all of us — whatever our race.

The Yapper

".... Indeed, that knowledge is what has made Obama's success possible. But if he wants to do more than merely succeed, if he wants to govern successfully, he is going to have to trust the people as much as they are beginning to trust him. After years of happy talk from politicians, that is the change we really need." - excerpt from The Obama Surge: Will It Last? By JOE KLEIN Thursday, Oct. 09, 2008 - Obama's a great talker, that's all. Let's see what you can put on the table once you're made president.

Mount Coot-tha and Wellington point

It's been a good break so far, all 3 days of it. We took off on impulse after dinner to Mount Coot-tha  last night.  I never knew Brisbane, being a small city with mostly suburbs, could have such a breath-taking view at night up on the hills. Nothing could have spoilt my mood up there, even a group of random funny (or drunk) clowns attributed to our visit. I fiddled around with the classy digital camera which was adjusted to a stand after staring into the dark mist of the night, scattered with lights in all colors that were sporadically allocated in their own perfect universe. We accidently discovered how to ghostly-transform ourselves to embed into the stunning background by delaying the shot for 5-10 seconds and removing ourselves from focus after the click.  Absolutely to die for.

Tonight, it was Wellington point that took my breath away.  Conveniently (?) located at a 45 minute-drive from my house, we made it there right after rush hour.  There was a long platform that reached into the pitch black Pacific waters.  Walking on it was captivating and a little unnerving at the same time.  Reaching out into what seemed to be the middle of the ocean, was the end of the platform, and there, all you see are stars above you and all you hear are waves hitting against one another.  I jokingly threw upon the imagination of the platform collapsing and us becoming bait for big whites, and instead scared myself (just a little).  It was the crisps of the wind that painted the perfect setting for a beautiful night.

 

Ode to my family

The simpler things in life makes us happier. my mom's been using this classic nokia phone for ages and the way i see her using it. it does the job. messages, calls, clean cut, clear, simple. and i admire her for that. well she needed another phone for HK so i gave her my other nokia one and she traded me with the classic one which i've been using since i got back and absolutely love it. it's funny that sometimes, a very mere trivial thing can completely drive and maintain a change in attitude/perspective in a person. or at least in people who live for passion and inner-self satisfaction and sometimes can act rashly. My mom's totally introduced me to a new attitude, and i bet she doesn't even know it. I see her looking at the best sides of a situation. but when i say looking at the best it doesn't translate into blind optimism. no. she also prepares for the worst by looking at things as realistically as possible. she's shown me that to be a wonderful friend, is a friend who is not quick to judge, to be a pleasant company, is one who always brings laughter (and great food =D ), to enjoy life, is to live one by being active about doing the things that interest you and appreciating them, and to be self disciplined at the same time, is to take care of yourself both physically and emotionally. She said to me one night, when we were having a long conversation about my occasional struggles, that to grow up, is not only to be financially independent, but also, emotionally independent. You must learn to know how to handle your emotions, tantrums and blow outs are not rights. and when you feel low and blue, you are the one who is responsible for lifting yourself up and putting yourself back in a better mood, and you are also the one who is capable of really doing it. I felt as if at that instant i craved to live life with a brand new attitude. It's all about having a healthy routine that truly strengthens us. Doing what's not only emotionally satisfying but also physically/soulfully satisfying, is what holds the key to leading a full life.